Hi all...Hiv and Hep

Can someone tell me if antibodies to HIV and Hepatitis C both take the same time to appear on a test? I am confused about this, and new here. Someones help? I tested at 2 months after a vaginal sexual exposure for Hep A,B, and C. All were negative. Am I free of Hep??

I just give them the facts and where they can find the information. I have a sister in law that had HCV and she was not a drug user, nor did she have a blood transfusion. So before you go dismissing, have something to back yourself up.

I just give them the facts and where they can find the information. I have a sister in law that had HCV and she was not a drug user, nor did she have a blood transfusion. So before you go dismissing, have something to back yourself up.

In general, hepatitis C transmission requires direct blood exposure. It is not an STD, so I don't keep up on the details. But if you haven't shared injection equipment with an infected person and if you're not a health care worker subject to injuries with sharp instruments, you need not worry about it. Hepatitis B is more easily transmitted and includes sex as a common route. Most infected people (with either virus) have no symptoms; the only way to be certain you aren't infected is to have blood tests at least 6-8 weeks after the last possible exposure.

In general, hepatitis C transmission requires direct blood exposure. It is not an STD, so I don't keep up on the details. But if you haven't shared injection equipment with an infected person and if you're not a health care worker subject to injuries with sharp instruments, you need not worry about it. Hepatitis B is more easily transmitted and includes sex as a common route. Most infected people (with either virus) have no symptoms; the only way to be certain you aren't infected is to have blood tests at least 6-8 weeks after the last possible exposure.

Some people assumed sexual transmission because the prevlanece of HCV infection is higher in people married to HCV infected people than in the general population. But people who live together months and years in succession have lots of opportunty for blood sharing, in addition to sexual exposure to one another. HCV is no higher in the casual sex partners of infected people than in the general population, the virus is not present in large amounts in sexual secretions, and no research has ever documented that sex per se is a mechanism of transmission. So although sexual transmission may occur from time to time, it is not a dominant mode of transmission; and if sex didn't exist, the overall frequency of HCV infection would be no different than it is now.

Some people assumed sexual transmission because the prevlanece of HCV infection is higher in people married to HCV infected people than in the general population. But people who live together months and years in succession have lots of opportunty for blood sharing, in addition to sexual exposure to one another. HCV is no higher in the casual sex partners of infected people than in the general population, the virus is not present in large amounts in sexual secretions, and no research has ever documented that sex per se is a mechanism of transmission. So although sexual transmission may occur from time to time, it is not a dominant mode of transmission; and if sex didn't exist, the overall frequency of HCV infection would be no different than it is now.

By what you posted from Dr. H. you don't believe in giving everyone the full facts either. Giving someone the facts so that they can decide for one self if they need to test is not fear education. It’s being honest and truthful.

Here is the link to American Liver Foundation that Dr. H. quoted for more reliable information. http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/hepatitisc/

By what you posted from Dr. H. you don't believe in giving everyone the full facts either. Giving someone the facts so that they can decide for one self if they need to test is not fear education. It’s being honest and truthful.

Here is the link to American Liver Foundation that Dr. H. quoted for more reliable information. http://www.liverfoundation.org/education/info/hepatitisc/

I understand exactly what you are saying. I always like the ones that test positive HIV and say, I only received a bj, and then really question them and their story seems to change. Like you say, only a test will tell and all the excuses in the world won't get you out of it.

I understand exactly what you are saying. I always like the ones that test positive HIV and say, I only received a bj, and then really question them and their story seems to change. Like you say, only a test will tell and all the excuses in the world won't get you out of it.

You know my stance on the subject. Its not impossible for Hep C to be transmitted sexually, but it is very rare.

And you'd think my husband was a damn Boy Scout, Teak. I wish I had a tape recording of his pious denial of ever having used IV drugs or skin popping them, . He's one of the "rare" sexual transmissions.

I'm only surprised he wasn't appointed as the last Pope. Guess being married kept him out of the running.

You NEVER know what people have done or tried even once in their lives. I've seen pregnant women positive for methampethamines on their drug tests, and they could win an academy award when you tell them they tested dirty. They never admit it. Never. They cry, express their outrage, insist the test was wrong...anything but admit drug use, past or present.

You know my stance on the subject. Its not impossible for Hep C to be transmitted sexually, but it is very rare.

And you'd think my husband was a damn Boy Scout, Teak. I wish I had a tape recording of his pious denial of ever having used IV drugs or skin popping them, . He's one of the "rare" sexual transmissions.

I'm only surprised he wasn't appointed as the last Pope. Guess being married kept him out of the running.

You NEVER know what people have done or tried even once in their lives. I've seen pregnant women positive for methampethamines on their drug tests, and they could win an academy award when you tell them they tested dirty. They never admit it. Never. They cry, express their outrage, insist the test was wrong...anything but admit drug use, past or present.

Everyone should get the HepB vaccines. It remains a serious cause of morbidity and mortality, and is indeed spread sexually, amongst other ways. It is important to be vaccinated against this very serious disease.

(We had one doctor bluntly tell my husband he was full of it with his sex story. I thought he would kill the doc right there with his bare hands--he jumped up, overturned chairs, the whole nine yards. He threatened to sue the doctor, even went so far as to contact an attorney, while I was practically dying with laughter the whole time.)

Everyone should get the HepB vaccines. It remains a serious cause of morbidity and mortality, and is indeed spread sexually, amongst other ways. It is important to be vaccinated against this very serious disease.

(We had one doctor bluntly tell my husband he was full of it with his sex story. I thought he would kill the doc right there with his bare hands--he jumped up, overturned chairs, the whole nine yards. He threatened to sue the doctor, even went so far as to contact an attorney, while I was practically dying with laughter the whole time.)

Post that information that you just stated. "There's never been a documented case of Hepatits C acquired sexually and you won't be the first."

Now don't be stupid. You were given the same studies to view and the ongoing studies about oral sex. I backed myself up with scientific data now you back up what you've stated. You won't, because you can't. You're just upset because you got called on your information or shall I say lack of information that you gave.

Post that information that you just stated. "There's never been a documented case of Hepatits C acquired sexually and you won't be the first."

Now don't be stupid. You were given the same studies to view and the ongoing studies about oral sex. I backed myself up with scientific data now you back up what you've stated. You won't, because you can't. You're just upset because you got called on your information or shall I say lack of information that you gave.

But the fact remains, there has never been a documented case with Hep C, Dr. H. says it right there in plain English. It's your job to fetch info on documented transmission, you're the one that insists that it happens. How can I find proof of something that never happened???

About oral sex - you know that the Spanish study is not the only one that was done. There were others done in the US and they did not come up with zeros, for sure. You just keep quoting that one because those are the results you want to believe.

But the fact remains, there has never been a documented case with Hep C, Dr. H. says it right there in plain English. It's your job to fetch info on documented transmission, you're the one that insists that it happens. How can I find proof of something that never happened???

About oral sex - you know that the Spanish study is not the only one that was done. There were others done in the US and they did not come up with zeros, for sure. You just keep quoting that one because those are the results you want to believe.

Objective: To investigate reported cases of oral HIV transmission in a cohort of persons with primary HIV infection. Methods: From 6/96 - 6/99 we enrolled 122 persons with primary HIV defined as within 12 months of documented HIV seroconversion or history compatible with primary HIV infection confirmed by less sensitive EIA test. Risk behaviors for the period during which infection occurred were elicited with self-administered and interviewer administered questionnaire. Potential oral sex transmission cases were reviewed following an investigation protocol of a follow-up interview by an epidemiologist, review of clinical notes and partner corroboration where possible. Results: There were 20 (16.4%) cases where the route of acquistion appeared to be oral sex on initial evaluation. Of these 20 cases, 3 provided insufficient additional information for classification. Of the remaining 17, 9 (53%) were subsequently reclassified as not associated with oral transmission due to other potential route of exposure. Two reclassified patients reported never engaging in anal sex but each reported a single episode of substance use associated with a blackout and risk could not be reliably recalled. Four patients reported a single incident of unprotected anal receptive anal intercourse and 1 reported a condom break during the period HIV was acquired. After follow-up investigation, 8 cases (6.6%) were classified as likely oral sex transmission. Each of the men believed oral sex represented no or minimal risk. Conclusion: Oral sex transmission may be over-reported. However, even with strigent criteria for classification, oral risk transmission represented 6.6% of infections in our study of primary HIV. Despite lower transmission risk, oral sex may be an important mode of HIV transmission due to its frequency. This finding has substantial prevention implications. Standardized investigation of HIV transmission via oral sex is needed to understand the epidemiology and risk of this behavior.

Objective: To investigate reported cases of oral HIV transmission in a cohort of persons with primary HIV infection. Methods: From 6/96 - 6/99 we enrolled 122 persons with primary HIV defined as within 12 months of documented HIV seroconversion or history compatible with primary HIV infection confirmed by less sensitive EIA test. Risk behaviors for the period during which infection occurred were elicited with self-administered and interviewer administered questionnaire. Potential oral sex transmission cases were reviewed following an investigation protocol of a follow-up interview by an epidemiologist, review of clinical notes and partner corroboration where possible. Results: There were 20 (16.4%) cases where the route of acquistion appeared to be oral sex on initial evaluation. Of these 20 cases, 3 provided insufficient additional information for classification. Of the remaining 17, 9 (53%) were subsequently reclassified as not associated with oral transmission due to other potential route of exposure. Two reclassified patients reported never engaging in anal sex but each reported a single episode of substance use associated with a blackout and risk could not be reliably recalled. Four patients reported a single incident of unprotected anal receptive anal intercourse and 1 reported a condom break during the period HIV was acquired. After follow-up investigation, 8 cases (6.6%) were classified as likely oral sex transmission. Each of the men believed oral sex represented no or minimal risk. Conclusion: Oral sex transmission may be over-reported. However, even with strigent criteria for classification, oral risk transmission represented 6.6% of infections in our study of primary HIV. Despite lower transmission risk, oral sex may be an important mode of HIV transmission due to its frequency. This finding has substantial prevention implications. Standardized investigation of HIV transmission via oral sex is needed to understand the epidemiology and risk of this behavior.

There you go. Now don't say it's never been documented and as Dr. H stated, You'll probably get more reliable information than I can provide from CDC (www.cdc.gov, then search for hepatitis) and from the American Liver Foundation.

There you go. Now don't say it's never been documented and as Dr. H stated, You'll probably get more reliable information than I can provide from CDC (www.cdc.gov, then search for hepatitis) and from the American Liver Foundation.

San Francisco City Clinic-City Clinic is a specialty clinic which has been providing diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) to the San Francisco community since 1933

The University of California San Francisco and the San Francisco Dept. of Public Health just completed a study of men in San Francisco who have only had oral sex and found zero new HIV infections. A very recent study from Spain confirmed earlier studies that oral sex is safe sex in terms of HIV.
What's important is that other STDs like syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and herpes are definitely transmitted through oral sex, and oral sex has likely contributed to San Francisco's current syphilis outbreak. Many of these infections are easily diagnosed with simple tests and can be treated with available medications.

So my advice is: Enjoy oral sex and get regular check-ups. A good check-up includes throat testing for gonorrhea, rectal testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia, urine testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia and blood tests for herpes, syphilis and HIV. We call that the grand slam!

San Francisco City Clinic-City Clinic is a specialty clinic which has been providing diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) to the San Francisco community since 1933

The University of California San Francisco and the San Francisco Dept. of Public Health just completed a study of men in San Francisco who have only had oral sex and found zero new HIV infections. A very recent study from Spain confirmed earlier studies that oral sex is safe sex in terms of HIV.
What's important is that other STDs like syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia and herpes are definitely transmitted through oral sex, and oral sex has likely contributed to San Francisco's current syphilis outbreak. Many of these infections are easily diagnosed with simple tests and can be treated with available medications.

So my advice is: Enjoy oral sex and get regular check-ups. A good check-up includes throat testing for gonorrhea, rectal testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia, urine testing for gonorrhea and chlamydia and blood tests for herpes, syphilis and HIV. We call that the grand slam!

The HepC link is good, thanks.
Although, I'm not sure what you tried to say there?
From what I read there, there is no good evidence for sexual transmissions.
I'm not seeing any documented cases. Am I missing it?

No Evidence of Sexual Transmission of Hepatitis C among Monogamous Couples: Results of a 10-Year Prospective Study

The risk of sexual transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was evaluated among 895 monogamous heterosexual partners of HCV chronically infected individuals in a long-term prospective study, which provided a follow-up period of 8,060 person-years. Seven hundred and seventy-six (86.7%) spouses were followed for 10 yr, corresponding to 7,760 person-years of observation.

One hundred and nineteen (13.3%) spouses (69 whose infected partners cleared the virus following treatment and 50 who ended their relationship or were lost at follow-up) contributed an additional 300 person-years.

All couples denied practicing anal intercourse or sex during menstruation, as well as condom use. The average weekly rate of sexual intercourse was 1.8.

Three HCV infections were observed during follow-up corresponding to an incidence rate of 0.37 per 1,000 person-years. However, the infecting HCV genotype in one spouse (2a) was different from that of the partner (1b), clearly excluding sexual transmission.

The remaining two couples had concordant genotypes, but sequence analysis of the NS5b region of the HCV genome, coupled with phylogenetic analysis showed that the corresponding partners carried different viral isolates, again excluding the possibility of intra-spousal transmission of HCV.

The authors conclude, “Our data indicate that the risk of sexual transmission of HCV within heterosexual monogamous couples is extremely low or even null. No general recommendations for condom use seem required for individuals in monogamous partnerships with HCV-infected partners.”

The HepC link is good, thanks.
Although, I'm not sure what you tried to say there?
From what I read there, there is no good evidence for sexual transmissions.
I'm not seeing any documented cases. Am I missing it?

No Evidence of Sexual Transmission of Hepatitis C among Monogamous Couples: Results of a 10-Year Prospective Study

The risk of sexual transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection was evaluated among 895 monogamous heterosexual partners of HCV chronically infected individuals in a long-term prospective study, which provided a follow-up period of 8,060 person-years. Seven hundred and seventy-six (86.7%) spouses were followed for 10 yr, corresponding to 7,760 person-years of observation.

One hundred and nineteen (13.3%) spouses (69 whose infected partners cleared the virus following treatment and 50 who ended their relationship or were lost at follow-up) contributed an additional 300 person-years.

All couples denied practicing anal intercourse or sex during menstruation, as well as condom use. The average weekly rate of sexual intercourse was 1.8.

Three HCV infections were observed during follow-up corresponding to an incidence rate of 0.37 per 1,000 person-years. However, the infecting HCV genotype in one spouse (2a) was different from that of the partner (1b), clearly excluding sexual transmission.

The remaining two couples had concordant genotypes, but sequence analysis of the NS5b region of the HCV genome, coupled with phylogenetic analysis showed that the corresponding partners carried different viral isolates, again excluding the possibility of intra-spousal transmission of HCV.

The authors conclude, “Our data indicate that the risk of sexual transmission of HCV within heterosexual monogamous couples is extremely low or even null. No general recommendations for condom use seem required for individuals in monogamous partnerships with HCV-infected partners.”

Dr.K is right, as always.
People should enjoy oral sex and get regular check-ups for HIV.
No argument there - I would not dare to argue with him anyway.
But he never says that oral is "no risk", he says "very low risk" (see his std chart)
And that's the proper way, I think.

Well, this sure made the slow day go fast )))
Thanks for the informative conversation, everyone
I'm going home, catch you tomorrow.

Dr.K is right, as always.
People should enjoy oral sex and get regular check-ups for HIV.
No argument there - I would not dare to argue with him anyway.
But he never says that oral is "no risk", he says "very low risk" (see his std chart)
And that's the proper way, I think.

Well, this sure made the slow day go fast )))
Thanks for the informative conversation, everyone
I'm going home, catch you tomorrow.

Dr. K. said and I quote, "The University of California San Francisco and the San Francisco Dept. of Public Health just completed a study of men in San Francisco who have only had oral sex and found zero new HIV infections. A very recent study from Spain confirmed earlier studies that oral sex is safe sex in terms of HIV."

He doesn't say safer sex. he said safe sex in terms of HIV. If he thought their was a risk he would have stated so.

Dr. K. said and I quote, "The University of California San Francisco and the San Francisco Dept. of Public Health just completed a study of men in San Francisco who have only had oral sex and found zero new HIV infections. A very recent study from Spain confirmed earlier studies that oral sex is safe sex in terms of HIV."

He doesn't say safer sex. he said safe sex in terms of HIV. If he thought their was a risk he would have stated so.

Don't know about hepatitis e, but I do know hepatitis d is only possible if you have hepatitis b. Hepatitis is complicated.

Sexually transmitted hepatitis c is highly unlikely, and worrying about getting it from sex is an enormous waste of time. Peek is right on as always. Everyone lies.

Mostly, I'm sorry so many of you have so much fear and anxiety around one of the greatest pleasures in life. Sex really is fun, but when you wrap it up with health anxiety and various phobias, plus guilt and all the negative messages we're flooded with about sex, well, it's not surprising most posters here are having meltdowns about it. It's still very sad, though. So if you decide you want to live differently, consider therapy and meds.

Don't know about hepatitis e, but I do know hepatitis d is only possible if you have hepatitis b. Hepatitis is complicated.

Sexually transmitted hepatitis c is highly unlikely, and worrying about getting it from sex is an enormous waste of time. Peek is right on as always. Everyone lies.

Mostly, I'm sorry so many of you have so much fear and anxiety around one of the greatest pleasures in life. Sex really is fun, but when you wrap it up with health anxiety and various phobias, plus guilt and all the negative messages we're flooded with about sex, well, it's not surprising most posters here are having meltdowns about it. It's still very sad, though. So if you decide you want to live differently, consider therapy and meds.

Wait a second.
I will gladly admit that I'm wrong if I see a documented case of sexual Hep C transmission.
I didn't find any at the link you kindly provided.
Speculation, guessing, suggestions, but no actual cases.
Point it out where is it on that page exactly, maybe I just missed it.
The only actual study that I did see there actually suggests the opposite - see the paragraph that I pasted above.
If you wish I will summarize it in the language you understand.

There were studies following serodiscordant couples where one person had Hepatitis C and the other did not. These people were not using condoms for either vaginal or oral sex. After 10 years of follow-up, not one person had contracted Hep C. Not one.

Wait a second.
I will gladly admit that I'm wrong if I see a documented case of sexual Hep C transmission.
I didn't find any at the link you kindly provided.
Speculation, guessing, suggestions, but no actual cases.
Point it out where is it on that page exactly, maybe I just missed it.
The only actual study that I did see there actually suggests the opposite - see the paragraph that I pasted above.
If you wish I will summarize it in the language you understand.

There were studies following serodiscordant couples where one person had Hepatitis C and the other did not. These people were not using condoms for either vaginal or oral sex. After 10 years of follow-up, not one person had contracted Hep C. Not one.

Can someone tell me if antibodies to HIV and Hepatitis C both take the same time to appear on a test? I am confused about this, and new here. Someones help? I tested at 2 months after a vaginal sexual exposure for Hep A,B, and C. All were negative. Am I free of Hep??

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